Unsolved Mysteries

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Unsolved Mysteries
Image:Unsolved Mysteries.gif
Unsolved Mysteries Logo
Format Crime, Drama, Mystery
Starring Robert Stack
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 553 [1] (plus 7 Specials)
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel NBC, CBS, Lifetime, Spike
Original airing January 20, 1987 - September 20, 2002
Restarting October 2008 on HBO and Spike TV [2]
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program that was hosted and narrated by Robert Stack. It was broadcast from 1987 to 2002, first on NBC (from 1987 to 1997), then on CBS (1997-1999) and finally on Lifetime (2001-02).

Unsolved Mysteries used a documentary format and featured reenactments of unsolved crimes, missing persons, and unexplained paranormal phenomena such as alien abductions, ghosts, UFOs, and "alternative history" theories.

The show was hosted by Stack and -- during its brief CBS run -- co-hosted by Virginia Madsen. Later episodes featured journalist Keely Shaye Smith and television host Lu Hanessian as correspondents in the show's telecenter, from where they provided information on updated stories. The show was known for its eerie theme song, which made use of a Phrygian mode, as well as Stack's unmistakable voice, which became synonymous with the show. The show, along with The X-Files, is credited with the rise in popularity of Paranormal investigation.

Contents

[edit] Format

Unsolved Mysteries featured segments in documentary film style, with actors portraying the victims, perpetrators and witnesses. In most cases, however, victim's family members and police officials were also featured in interview segments that were interspersed throughout the dramatization. Before an episode begins,(not used in the later episodes) the following message is related to the audience: "This program is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the actual family members and police officials have participated in recreating the events. What you are about to see is not a news broadcast." For special episodes, like Mysteries of the Psychic Mind or Mysteries of the Afterlife, the message is: "This program is about unsolved mysteries. The re-enactments and special effects are actual eyewitness accounts. What you are about to see is not a news broadcast." Each episode of Unsolved Mysteries usually featured three or four segments, each involving a different story. Stack offered voice over narration for each segment, and appeared on-screen to begin and end segments, and to offer segues.

Viewers were invited to telephone, write a letter, or, in later episodes, use the internet to contact the program if they had information that might help solve a crime. The toll free number, 800-876-5353 (U.S.), and website (shown below) are still active today although the show is long out of production.

Unsolved Mysteries segments, all of which involved actual events, generally fell into one of four categories:

Viewers were given updates on success stories, where suspects were brought to justice and loved ones reunited.

[edit] Broadcast history

Robert Stack, Host
Robert Stack, Host

[edit] NBC, 1987-1997

The show aired on NBC from 1987 – 1997. It was originally hosted by actor Raymond Burr as a television special. Karl Malden also hosted the show before Robert Stack took over full-time. Unsolved Mysteries was also one of the few prime-time shows of its era to appeal to fans of the supernatural, and used effective special effects to enhance tales of the unexplained.

In 1992, NBC aired a short-lived spin-off series called Final Appeal: From the Files of Unsolved Mysteries, with Robert Stack as host also. The premise of this series was to try to give the unjustly accused a final appeal for help. The series was cancelled after only a few episodes due to poor ratings.

[edit] CBS, 1997-1999

By 1997, however, the show started to lose its audience, and NBC cancelled the show. Ratings declined when the program moved from its original Wednesday evening to Friday evening beginning in the Fall 1994 season. It was soon revived on CBS. In early 1999, Stack was joined by actress Virginia Madsen for hosting duties in hopes to regain ground on the ratings, but to no avail. After two years, CBS removed the show from its Friday night lineup.

[edit] Lifetime, 2001-2002

Unsolved Mysteries slowly faded, but in 2001, the program regained some popularity with a somewhat new audience, when it was revived on the Lifetime cable television network, where new episodes aired sporadically until 2002, usually on weekdays between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. Old episodes still run in syndication on several television networks (notably Lifetime) in the U.S., Canada, and Australia; but as of August 14, 2006, Unsolved Mysteries switched to airing on Lifetime Real Women, which is mostly on digital cable. In 2007, the show was yanked entirely from the schedule.

During some shows, callers gave tips to the telecenter. When the show aired on NBC and CBS, the number was displayed on the bottom of the screen. When it moved to Lifetime, the number was removed and an address was put in place. Strangely enough, Lifetime kept the telecenter segments in the broadcast, despite the fact that this wouldn't make sense to a viewer who had tuned in after the show was taken off NBC and CBS.

[edit] Spike TV, 2008-

According to Broadcasting & Cable, HBO Distribution is planning on bringing back Unsolved Mysteries when the cable channel Lifetime contract expires in 2008. The show would feature a new set, same music, recaps on old cases, as well as new cases, and a new host. The show will be on SpikeTV in October 2008 for 5 years and 175 episodes, [3] featuring the same theme music, and hosted by actor Dennis Farina.[4]

[edit] DVD releases

First Look Studios released Six theme-based DVD sets in Region 1 in 2004/2005. The sets were re-released on June 21, 2005 with a lower suggested retail price. On March 21, 2006, a compilation set called The Best of Unsolved Mysteries was released, which contained selected segments from each of the earlier DVD sets along with some previously unreleased-on-DVD content. A special boxed set featuring the first six sets along with the new content from the Best of collection was also produced.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Volume 1: UFO's 26 September 7, 2004
Volume 2: Ghosts 34 September 14, 2004
Volume 3: Miracles 33 October 26, 2004
Volume 4: Bizarre Murders 32 January 25, 2005
Volume 5: Psychics 28 January 25, 2005
Volume 6: Strange Legends 27 February 15, 2005

[edit] External links